A/N: I wrote this whole chapter, mostly, and my PC crashed, so i had to
write it again, and do you know how awful that is? VERY! -_- Anyhoo, thanks
for any reviews, i hope your enjoying it. I never wrote a dawn fic before
or a BTVS one so i just hope it's ok ^-^
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Chapter Two :: Stranger
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'How the hell did I let Buffy convince me this was going to be OK?'
This was Dawn's first thought when she saw her friends fading out-of-sight. Since then the bus had been driving for hours, picking up several people on the way. Dawn had thought about back at home, where she had hid the fact she thought it was a bad idea, she wished she had told Buffy, but she didn't think about that then.
Dawn tapped her fingers against the glass of the window and looked out at the endless forest and fields. They had not passed many cities in a while. She sat there, staring blankly, not wanting to think about it but it was all she could do because Anya had packed all of her bags into the lugage hold and Dawn couldn't get a magazine, or earphones. But after hours she hoped they would be nearly there.
Suddenly the bus skidded to a halt and Dawn was pushed foreword, she put out her arms and grabbed the seat in front to stop herself bashing her head off it. As she looked around, some people had done the same, there was groans all around the bus before the doors at the front opened. Dawn watched three people walk in, two boys and a girl. They whispered somethign to the driver and then made their way up the isle, one of the boys sat with the girl and the other looked round, until he caught sight of Dawn and walked towards her.
Dawn looked up at him, slightly nervous, he had dark brown hair which was sort of long, it couvered one side of his face and gave him a mysterious look. The boy stopped when he reache dher and looked down at the seat. "Is this seat taken? Would you mind if i sat here?" He asked, eyeing her.
"Umm . . ." Dawn said, trying not to drool, she always went all gah-gah in front of boys. "Well, it's not taken, sure, i mean, sit there if ya' like." She muttered, tryign to act normal and failing. The boy smiled and sat down as the bus started up again and began to drive.
No one talked for a few minutes and then the boy turned to look at her, "Hey," he said.
Dawn looked back at him and smilled, "Hi," she said, what now? should she carry on . . . ? or is the boy meant to do that? . . . Oh God!
"My name's James, James Whyte, and you are . . .?"
Dawn was about to say it and then stopped, she suddenly couldn't talk, it was like she had a lump in her throat, she coughed slightly and then said her name. "Oh, I'm Dawn Summers . . ." Then there was silence again, "So, are you . . . Umm . . . Do you go to the boarding school?" She realised that that was a stupid question when she remembered that the bus was only for people from the school.
James smiled slightly and nodded. "I don't remember you, are you new?" He asked, leaning back. When Dawn nodded he asked, "Where do you come from then?"
"Sunnydale. You probably won't have heard of it-"
"-I heard of it," he said, "It was in the news a few years ago, the school blew up or something. Were you there when that happened?"
"No, i wasn't at the school, my sister was though, it was her graduation day . . ." She said.
"Oh, was she OK? apparently, alot of people died or were injured" He didn't realise that he was being very calm about it.
"No, she's OK," Dawn said.
Then there was silence again. None of them spoke. James looked like he was thinking about something, his eyes were on the ceiling so Dawn too leant back and pretended he wasn't there. About twenty minutes later Dawn looked at him. "So, what's the school like?"
James shrugged, "It's OK, if ya' like school," then he looked at her again, "I'm not really into that stuff . . . you know?"
Dawn knew, he was a skiever. She nodded, "Nah, i i hate school too."
"We're not far away now," he said after her, it was like he knew what she was about to ask, because she was about to ask how far away they were. She nodded and he looked away again.
The next ten minutes or so were silent, Dawn, despite the new arrival couldn't stop thinking about what an awful mistake she had made, how could she go to some school and concentrate on maths and stuff when her sister was probably fighting for her life? She hadn't thought this through at all, she couldn't do it. Still, she sat and stared blankly at the person's head in front of her, if only she could just stop the bus and turn around . . .
"You OK?" James finally asked, eyeing the girl. He looked at her, immagining why she was there.
Dawn shrugged, not wanting to talk. Maybe she could ring Buffy as soon as she got there? Would she come for her? Dawn wished she would, if she didn't she wouldn't know what to do . . . "It's not all bad, ya' know," James said, Dawn looked at him, he was slightly taller then her, "Ya' know, being away from family, it seems hard, first time. But you get into it, you get into being indipendent."
Dawn nodded, but she was different, at first, she didn't want to be, but then she realised being the slayers sister was cool. And now who was she? Some kis, pretending not to know that the world may end at anytime and worrying about homework? How the hell did she say yes to this! All of her feelings for James had faded into worry for Buffy and the others.
"Look," she heard him say, "We're here already." he smiled while talking, Dawn guessed this was to try and make her feel better. It wasn't working. She nodded back at him to be polite but didn't feel any happier. "Ya' got any bags?" he asked.
"Only in the hold." Dawn said, almsot flyign foreword as the driver put on his brakes. She felt someone put out their arm to stop her, it was James, he too flew foreword but grabbed Dawn to stop her banging her head. He laughed as he let go, "This dude doesn't know how to use brakes." He cried, standing up with a bunch of other kids.
And with that they all piled off the bus, collecting lugage and bags, getting ready for another term of school. But as Dawn stood, holding several bags, alone in the school court-yard, she knew it would be more then that.
*-*-*
Chapter Two :: Stranger
*-*-*
'How the hell did I let Buffy convince me this was going to be OK?'
This was Dawn's first thought when she saw her friends fading out-of-sight. Since then the bus had been driving for hours, picking up several people on the way. Dawn had thought about back at home, where she had hid the fact she thought it was a bad idea, she wished she had told Buffy, but she didn't think about that then.
Dawn tapped her fingers against the glass of the window and looked out at the endless forest and fields. They had not passed many cities in a while. She sat there, staring blankly, not wanting to think about it but it was all she could do because Anya had packed all of her bags into the lugage hold and Dawn couldn't get a magazine, or earphones. But after hours she hoped they would be nearly there.
Suddenly the bus skidded to a halt and Dawn was pushed foreword, she put out her arms and grabbed the seat in front to stop herself bashing her head off it. As she looked around, some people had done the same, there was groans all around the bus before the doors at the front opened. Dawn watched three people walk in, two boys and a girl. They whispered somethign to the driver and then made their way up the isle, one of the boys sat with the girl and the other looked round, until he caught sight of Dawn and walked towards her.
Dawn looked up at him, slightly nervous, he had dark brown hair which was sort of long, it couvered one side of his face and gave him a mysterious look. The boy stopped when he reache dher and looked down at the seat. "Is this seat taken? Would you mind if i sat here?" He asked, eyeing her.
"Umm . . ." Dawn said, trying not to drool, she always went all gah-gah in front of boys. "Well, it's not taken, sure, i mean, sit there if ya' like." She muttered, tryign to act normal and failing. The boy smiled and sat down as the bus started up again and began to drive.
No one talked for a few minutes and then the boy turned to look at her, "Hey," he said.
Dawn looked back at him and smilled, "Hi," she said, what now? should she carry on . . . ? or is the boy meant to do that? . . . Oh God!
"My name's James, James Whyte, and you are . . .?"
Dawn was about to say it and then stopped, she suddenly couldn't talk, it was like she had a lump in her throat, she coughed slightly and then said her name. "Oh, I'm Dawn Summers . . ." Then there was silence again, "So, are you . . . Umm . . . Do you go to the boarding school?" She realised that that was a stupid question when she remembered that the bus was only for people from the school.
James smiled slightly and nodded. "I don't remember you, are you new?" He asked, leaning back. When Dawn nodded he asked, "Where do you come from then?"
"Sunnydale. You probably won't have heard of it-"
"-I heard of it," he said, "It was in the news a few years ago, the school blew up or something. Were you there when that happened?"
"No, i wasn't at the school, my sister was though, it was her graduation day . . ." She said.
"Oh, was she OK? apparently, alot of people died or were injured" He didn't realise that he was being very calm about it.
"No, she's OK," Dawn said.
Then there was silence again. None of them spoke. James looked like he was thinking about something, his eyes were on the ceiling so Dawn too leant back and pretended he wasn't there. About twenty minutes later Dawn looked at him. "So, what's the school like?"
James shrugged, "It's OK, if ya' like school," then he looked at her again, "I'm not really into that stuff . . . you know?"
Dawn knew, he was a skiever. She nodded, "Nah, i i hate school too."
"We're not far away now," he said after her, it was like he knew what she was about to ask, because she was about to ask how far away they were. She nodded and he looked away again.
The next ten minutes or so were silent, Dawn, despite the new arrival couldn't stop thinking about what an awful mistake she had made, how could she go to some school and concentrate on maths and stuff when her sister was probably fighting for her life? She hadn't thought this through at all, she couldn't do it. Still, she sat and stared blankly at the person's head in front of her, if only she could just stop the bus and turn around . . .
"You OK?" James finally asked, eyeing the girl. He looked at her, immagining why she was there.
Dawn shrugged, not wanting to talk. Maybe she could ring Buffy as soon as she got there? Would she come for her? Dawn wished she would, if she didn't she wouldn't know what to do . . . "It's not all bad, ya' know," James said, Dawn looked at him, he was slightly taller then her, "Ya' know, being away from family, it seems hard, first time. But you get into it, you get into being indipendent."
Dawn nodded, but she was different, at first, she didn't want to be, but then she realised being the slayers sister was cool. And now who was she? Some kis, pretending not to know that the world may end at anytime and worrying about homework? How the hell did she say yes to this! All of her feelings for James had faded into worry for Buffy and the others.
"Look," she heard him say, "We're here already." he smiled while talking, Dawn guessed this was to try and make her feel better. It wasn't working. She nodded back at him to be polite but didn't feel any happier. "Ya' got any bags?" he asked.
"Only in the hold." Dawn said, almsot flyign foreword as the driver put on his brakes. She felt someone put out their arm to stop her, it was James, he too flew foreword but grabbed Dawn to stop her banging her head. He laughed as he let go, "This dude doesn't know how to use brakes." He cried, standing up with a bunch of other kids.
And with that they all piled off the bus, collecting lugage and bags, getting ready for another term of school. But as Dawn stood, holding several bags, alone in the school court-yard, she knew it would be more then that.